Category: Pending

Eating meat is delicious, it brings people together and according to our government it is also healthy. Dog fighting is also fun, it brings people together, and what is unhealthy about it? Nothing is, except for the dog. Why do we care so much more about dogs than we do about a pig, cow or chicken on a factory farm? If your child had a chicken and had fun poking its eyes and cutting its beak, I am sure you would stop this irrational behavior immediately. Yet, the chicken we often eat has had harsh treatment that we shrug off by saying “Well, I didn’t know this animal, so I don’t feel as bad.” Are we that apathetic towards the truth?”

Johnathan Safran Foer is one of my favorite my favorite Authors. He wrote a book called “Eating Animals” where he explores the many ways that animals are farmed. He brings the audience into the hellish life and death of 98% of farmed animals. A favorite quote form his book:
“What the meat industry figured out is that you don’t need healthy animals to make a profit. Sick animals are more profitable…Factory farms calculate how close to death they can keep animals without killing them. That’s the business model. How quickly they can be made to grow, how tightly they can be packed, how much or how little can they eat, how sick they can get without dying…We live in a world in which it’s conventional to treat an animal like a block of wood.”
– Jonathan Safran Foer, Eating Animals. Chew on that.

For those of you with a green thumb, or are beginner gardeners, you might find today’s infographic on the concept of “companion planting” rather interesting. I myself, don’t have a great track record with growing fruits and vegetables, but with today’s chart maybe now I will!

Just like us, plants are living creatures, and they get along better with some more than others. Being surrounded by those you can’t stand can be suffocating for humans, and even fatal for plants. Look at today’s chart to find the right combination of plants to put in your garden together. It’s a plant compatibility chart, if you will, so your plants can not only grow, but thrive.

This gardening cheat-sheet shows plants that grow well together, combinations that help control pests and bugs, combinations that are good for your garden in general, and plants that should never go near each other.

Some of these pairings seem picture-esque, like sunflowers and corn–or a recipe for a delicious meal, like tomatoes and basil. But some pairings just don’t sound right…like strawberries and broccoli.

Check out today’s graphic and don’t force a match that isn’t meant to be. It might result in a combination that’s not exactly pleasing to your senses or your garden. [Via]

I sat down at my computer a few weeks ago to check my online banking account, just like I do every other day. I was hoping I had some extra spending money to go out with that evening, but I was surprised to see my account was in the negative. I saw several charges – some of which were pending – from newegg.com, a site I had never actually used before. I immediately called my bank, who took off the pending charges right away and cancelled my accounts. They told me I was the victim of debit card fraud, and they would work to refund the rest of my money and give me new account information.

I was completely shocked. I went through the whole ‘How could this happen to me?’ moment. Luckily, it could have been worse; I could have had my identity stolen. Whoever got my card information did not actually get ahold of my billing address, which is what saved me from losing more money than I did. But still, I’m being forced to reevaluate where I use my personal information and debit card.

It’s scary to think about how I almost became one of the statistics on this infographic. Unfortunately, the United States is a fraud-friendly country because our cards still use the outdated magnetic strip on the back, as opposed to a microchip inside. And until the day comes that we finally make the switch, my advice for you is to be careful and check your accounts often. Trust me when I say that it can happen to anyone. [via]

In case you didn’t know, AdWords is Google’s online advertising program that helps people market products or services through the Google search engine and its affiliated websites. Advertisers bid on certain keywords so their ads will appear on the top or right side of the search results, usually as a sponsored link. For example, if you are the owner of a pilates studio, you might use “pilates class” as a keyword phrase to try and increase traffic to your website. Additionally, AdWords is a “pay-per-click” system, which means that you’re not charged when the ad is displayed, but when someone actually clicks on the ad to visit your website.

Even though there are a lot of ways to use AdWords to your advantage, not everyone will have the same success rate. What works for a cupcake shop will probably not work the same for a tattoo parlor. If you’re in the market for a new marketing campaign, it’s never too late to turn to AdWords. The infographic below mentions which campaigns you should invest in and explains terms like match types, which let Google know how closely you want your ads to match keyword searches. The best way to increase the chances of this program helping your business is to get familiar with how it works, and this is a good place to start.

This week is dedicated to taking a step back and appreciating the backbone of the healthcare industry: nurses. Nurses do everything from aiding the doctor to keeping weary patients entertained. It is no wonder why nurses are such amazing people. It takes a great amount of patience, selflessness, and passion to excel at this job. A lot of hard work and dedication goes into becoming a nurse, and whenever someone decides that this is the appropriate career path for him or her, they must understand that they are devoting their lives to other people and that, in turn, requires a lot of responsibility. So, thank you nurses, for looking out for us.

If that sounds like you, and you’re thinking about becoming a nurse, then you are definitely in luck. According to a U.S. News and World Report, nurses are in pretty high demand. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that 37,100 new positions for nurse practitioners will be available before 2022. The world population is steadily growing, and with it, the number of sick people that need to be taken care of. So if you’re looking for job security, the medical field is definitely where it’s at.

Whether this is something you want to do or not, always remember that nurses are giving every bit of themselves so that the world can be a better place for everyone to live. So next time you have to make a visit to the doctor, thank the people that assist you. [Happy Nurses Week!]

A few years ago, I was all about adding Tabasco hot sauce to my food. I even carried a little miniature bottle of it in my backpack in college. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, I became obsessed with Sriracha. So much so, that I even posted an infographic about it. But alas, I have just recently become obsessed with a new hot sauce after a co-worker donated it to the office kitchen last week. It’s name is Tapatio hot sauce, and we have become inseparable. I have a bottle in my pantry, my purse, and at my work desk so that wherever I decide to eat, I’ll always be able to add a little Tapatio pizzazz to my meal. Never heard of Tapatio, or dare I say, even tried it?! If you’re ready to take your taste buds to a whole other level of flavor, I suggest you break off your commitment to your current hot sauce and give Tapatio a taste. You will not be disappointed! [via]

Why do you like fantasy? As a fantasy-addict, I’ve had to answer this question many times to my father, middle school football coach, ex-girlfriend… But for any fantasy-junkie, the answer is simple: it’s awesome. However, as bizarre as it sounds, there are people who don’t like fantasy, who buy into the lie of, “It’s just a bunch of monsters, wizards and men with goatees swinging swords, and casting spells until the good guys just sort of ‘win’.” To be fair, that’s an accurate description of Robert Jordan’s “Wheel of Time” saga, (which was still pretty cool).

This infographic uses Tolkien’s works to break down the structure of epic fantasy. There are wizards, heroes, mythical races of elves, orcs, etc. But Tolkien’s work was so much more, he invented an entire lore and history of a fictional universe, he invented languages! He created a structure for later fantasy writers to follow, like Terry Goodkind or Brandon Sanderson.

Then there’s the new wave of fantasy writers, notably George R.R. Martin. This new breed of fantasy’s characters are grey, neither good nor bad (unless it’s Joffrey), and contain more plot-based writing than lore, creating a new realm of nerdy-awesomeness.

With the huge success of ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘The Hobbit’ films, it seems like the masses are starting to think fantasy is cool too, but don’t stop there! Read the books! Then nerds like myself will find girlfriends/boyfriends who like fantasy just as much and live happily ever after. The end. [Via]